Automatic shut-off valve.



HWUREH 61 G. A. GASE.

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Patented May 11, 1915.

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Be it known that we. HARNESS)? il. SOUTl-i- WORTH and Grouse A. (less,citizens of the United States. residing at Cleveland, in the county ofCuyahoga and State of Ohio. have inv nted a certain new and useful.Improve ment in Automatic Shut-(Hf Valves. of which the following-1stull. clear. and exact description, reference beingliad to theaccompanying dra wings.

This invention relates to controlling valves and particularly for avalve adapted to be interposed in a passage for fluid leading to areceptacle to control the flow of such fluid to the receptacle, beingdependent for its operation on the pressure Within said receptacle. v

In the particular embodiment shown herein, this invention is adapted foruse in connection with a refrigerating apparatus of a type described inthe application of Mr. lL-arrison H. Southworth, No. 732,807, filedNovember 22, 1912. In this application is described a system in WfllCllpractically all of the refrigerant is driven efi from thegenerator-absorber to a. condenser during the period of generation, andall of the refrigerant passes from the condenser through therefrigerating coils back to the generator-ahsorber during the period ofabsorption. 1

Our shut-off valve is preferably interposed in the ymsszige leading fromthe condenser through th refrigerating coils to the absorber, and isadapted to be controlled by the pressure in the generntor-ubsorberiaving a passage connecting it therewith.

An object of the invention is to provide such a valve which shall beentirely auto matic and etlicient in its operation and which shall besimple in'construction, While being thoroughly tight.

Another object is to provide a valve which is normullvheld open byspring pressure to permit the passage of liquid under pres sure, from thcondenser to the absorber, the valve being insured against closing bythe pressure of such liquid but which may be closed by the pressure inthe generatorabsorber rising to a point sufiieient to overcome thespring pressure and the pressure in the passage leading from thecondenser.

Another object to conveniently arrange the valve so thatit maybeoperated under .JRGE :1.

Ti) THE ICE i the upper spring 25. surrounding thevslve stem and ob ectsof our inven ion come apparent in the folmwin forth in the. claims.

lfigure is a vertical central section or? our valve; l ig. 9. section ofour valve on the line of Fig. 1; 3 is a detail of the list spring; Fig.4 detail of valve plug.

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10. tion 12'. 01 a seatadupted to end "21 of the rs "I his tiling 5 aU1.

t. .ninunir. 1 pass-a5 i 1'? the chznnber l5; ringed at its end to forma. head. the lower face of which abuts the diaphragm H. interposed.between the upper shoulder of this head and face of the chamber 15., is3, leaf tending normally to open the velve. Beneath the diaphragm isshown a bearing bloek 26, which is used merely to simplify themanufacture and to form a fiat surface limiting the. depression of thediaphragm. The liquid flows through the passage 15, past the valve plug,when open, and from a passage 24. The lower casing also colprises twochambered shells 39 and 31 clamped together stitheir margins by suit-'able bolts and embracing between them a metal diaphragm 34. The lowershell 31 is provided fi'lfil a nipple adapted. to be oered. shelis 1t)Petr t weed to the pressure in the generator-abmrber.

As shown, this diaphragm is of sufiicientl greater area than thediaphragm 14 to close the valve against the action of the springs 25 and38 (hereinafter described), when the pressures above the diaphragm 1-land. below the diaphragm 34 are equal and some what above atmospheric.

To transmit the upward movement of the diaphragm 34 to the valve 20, wehave pr0- vided a pin 35, slidably journaled in the shell 11 and theblock 26, with the upper end abutting the diaphragm l-l directly beneaththe valve 20, and the lower end having a threaded engagement with thecenter of a disk 36, which abuts the upper side ofthe diaphragm 34 andbears over a major portion of its area. Interposed between the lowerface of the upper shell 11 and the upper face of the flange 36, andsurrounding the pin 35, we have provided a coiled compression spring 38tending to depress this diaphragm. The chamber formed between thediaphragm 34 and the shell 30, provided with a vent 40 communicatingwith the atmosphere.

In use, the passage 16 of the upper shell 10 is connected by a suitablecoupling with a line pipe leading to the condenser, and the opening 24.-communicates with a line pipe passing to the refrigerator coils. Thus itwill be seen that the exposed upper end of the valve 20 is at all timessubjected to the pressure of the liquid refrigerant in the condensertendin to open the valve and, when the valve 18 open, the pressure ofthe liquid is communicated to the chamber 15 and so acts on the upperface of the diaphragm l4, tending to depress the same. When the valve isopen, it will be seen that the liquid refrigerant has a clear passagefrom the condenser through the passages 16,117 and 25 to the pipesleading to the C01 s.

It will be noted that each of the diaphragms form one wall of thechambers communicating with their respective passages, and as thesediaphragms are firmly gripped at their peripheries between the membersof the casing and are held between suitable packing members, thechambers in communication with the passages are thoroughly liquid tight.This is particularly important in the construction in the upper casin inconnection with the valve, as it enab es the liquid to pass thevalvewithout allowing it to escape from the casing, it being ver diflicult toprovide means exterior to t e casing for closing this valve, which wouldnot be liable to permit leakage.

shut-off valve is as =riod when the geny it necessary in order to enterthe condenser that are in the generator be sonn lat in e of thecondenser pressure. This ire in the generator, transmitted through aby-pass pipe to the lower side of the. diaphragm 34, is sufiicient toforce the diaphiagn'i 34 upward against the combined pressures of thecondenser pressure acting on the diaphragm 14, and the pressure of thesprings 25 and 38, and so close the valve 20 and hold it closedthrmighout the cycle of generation. At a predetermined degree of lowsaturation in the generator, the cycle of (iperation is re versed andthe generator being cooled acts as an absorber. At some point, thepressure in the gel ratorabsorbcr is decreased to such an t that thehigh pressure of the liquid refrigerant in the condenser acting on theconical face 21 of the valve 20, in addition to the pressure remainingin the chamber on the valve side of the diaphragm and the pressure ofthe springs 25v and 258, is suitlicient to open the valve, allowing thecondenser pressure to be transmitted. to the chamber 15 and act on theupper side of the diaphragm to retain the valve in an open position. Theliquid refrigerant then passes through the'passage 24 into a pipe andcarried to the refrigerating coils. During this cycle of operation, itis of course necessary that the pressure in the generator-abscrher beconsiderably less than the pressure in the condenser. When all of theliquid refrigerant in the condenser is vaporized. the cycle of operationis again auti'miatically changed, and heat is applied to the generator.[\s the generator is heated, the pressure therein rises, and is exertedthrough a bypass pipe, upon the lower side of the diaphragm '34: asabove described, closing the valve 21.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that We have provided asimple efiicient valve, which will adcomplish the purposes hereinbcforeset forth and when generator and used in connection with a refrigeratingmaone of said. casings having a central extension by which it isconnected directly to the other, each casing having an internal chamberin which is a diaphra a distance piece slidably mounted in sai extensionand bearing agalnst two diaphragms a spring tending to force one of thedlaphragms away from the other, a valve plug in the opposite side ofsaid other diaphragm, a spring acting directly on the valve plug andtending to move it toward its diaphragm, passages to and from the spaceoccupied by the valve plug, a passage to the opposite side of the otherdiaphragm, and a passage 'to the atmosphere from the other side of thechamber occupied by the last named diaphragm.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a two-partcasing having an internal chamber, a diaphragm exr tending across saidchamber, a second twopart casing having a smaller internal chamber, adiaphragm extending across the latter chamber, said secondwasing beingsecured to the first casing and having a flat surface adjacent to itsdiaphragm on the side toward the larger diaphragm and comparativelyclose to the smaller diaphragm, a slidable distance piece between thediaphragms, and a valve plug abutting the smaller diaphragm on the sideopposite the distance piece and controlling a passage adapted when theplug'is away from its seat to communicate with the chamber on the valveside of the small diaphragm.

In testimony whereof, we hereunto afiix our signatures in the presenceof two witnesses.

HARRISON H. SOUTHWORTHJ GEORGE A. case.

Witnesses:

Geo. J. SPLI'I'IORF- o R. S. SPENCER.

